Carrie Ault co-owns the Madison County farm where the dead animals were found stacked inside a barn this week along with surviving animals so malnourished investigators described them as "walking skeletons."

She tells The Herald Bulletin the condition of the surviving animals has been "blown way out of proportion," and that the media is "over-exaggerating" the situation.

Local Animal Protection League president Maleah Stringer says the situation has not been exaggerated at all.

She says the surviving animals were "literally living and sleeping on piles of rotting bodies" and had no food or water.

“This is not overblown. There’s no way they (the Aults) can talk their way out of this,” Stringer told the paper.

The state Board of Animal Health was on-site most of Wednesday to examine the survivors, all of whom were found to be below normal body conditions, some with visible ribs and in need of supportive care, spokeswoman Denise Derrer told the paper.